Vehicle actuated electric control



Sept. 14, 1937. i. s. BAITINGER 2,092,948

VEHICLE ACTUATED E]. ECTIiZC CONTROL Filed April 6, 1932 Patented Sept. 14, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,092,948 VEHICLE ACTUATED ELECTRIC CONTROL Ira S. Baitinger, St. Paul, Minn. Application April 6, 1932, Serial No. 603,572 '7 Claims. (Cl. 200-85) This invention relates to a vehicle actuated These features, together with other details electric control. The control operates automatiand objects will be fully set forth.

cally when a vehicle passes over a drive plate In the drawing forming part of this specificonnected to the control to provide a signal for cation: a predetermined period of time. The control Figure 1 is a. perspective view, showing the use 5 may be used for various purposes, a primary of my vehicle actuated electric control with a feature being to provide a service alarm at filling gas filling station for automobiles.

stations to indicate to the attendant that a ve- Figure 2 is a perspective view of the control hicle has entered the filling station and desires box, part of which is broken away.

service. The moment the vehicle passes over the Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the driveway 10 operating vehicle plate, the control operates plates. automatically to sound an alarm or to signal the Figure 4 illustrates a sectional view through attendant of the filling station. For filling stathe control box, showing a variation in the contions several of the driveway plates may be instruction of the same.

stalled and connected to one or more of the con- Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of the 15 troller devices, thus adequately equipping the electric wiring and system used with my control. filling station so that the attendant may always Figure 6 is a diagrammatic wiring system be advised of avehicle entering the station. which may be used with my control where the The controller may be used equally well for same operates a motor for controlling the opergarages and other places where it is desired to ation'of a garage door or a similar device. 20

operate the garage door by the passing of the The vehicle actuated electric control is provehicle over the driveway plate, or the vehicle vided with a controller box A which may be of actuated control may be used as a simple timer a suitable size and nature so as to hold a to control and operate a trafiic signal, or for any quantity of liquid within the same. The conother'device wherea sustained or timed operation troller box A can be square or of any other 25 is desired to maintain an electric circuit in closed suitable shape, so that it may be conveniently position and wherein the circuit will be automounted upon a support. It is preferred that matically opened after a predetermined period the controller box A be placed where it is accesof time. sible so that the liquid from time to time may be It is a feature to provide a controller having a replaced, if it is desired, to maintain liquid with- 30 tank member which is adapted to contain a llqin the same. uid which may be of a. non-freezing character The controller is formed with a cover l0 and a for cold weather. The liquid in the tank operbody portion II, the cover In fitting tightly to ates the mechanism when a vehicle passes over the body ll so as to virtually seal the liquid in 5 the driveway plate. The mechanism in the tank the same and prevent evaporation of the liquid 5 is of a simple character, positive in its operation, from the controller A. On one side of the conand operated automatically to close a circuit by tainer A I provide a filler plug l2 which is posih pa f h v h l v h iv pl tioned so that liquid may be readily filled into and after a predetermined period the mechanism the chamber 13 of t Container H and t of the controller automatically opens the circuit height f the fille plug g acts to gauge' the 40 so a the operatlon may repeateqheight of the liquid filled into the body ll so as to It is also a feature to provide a drive plate prevent over fimng of the Same 23 Slmple 5 E? be posltwned m The controller A is formed with a tubular e nveway so 9 ve .lcle f pass.over standard M which is supported in the chamber the same. The drive plate is provided with a '3 d t d1 th b tt '5 45 flexible member which connects directly with the a an prom? S upwar y Q e 0 0m controller and causes a quantity of liquid in the w contamer to prfwlde hollow tutfe controller to be elevated into a cup-like member mthm the chamber Tms tubular standard 15 which causes the controller to operate to close connected by means of a Pipe hose the an electric circuit. This flexible member may drive plate B Which is located at y desired DO- 0 be of a, tubular or hose-like natur which is sition in the driveway of the filling station or easily replaced and the simple passing of the adjacent a; ga door 0 n a highway W e e vehicle wheel over the sam operates to pum the wheels of vehicles may pass over the same.

a portion of the liquid in the controller to oper- The upper end I! of the tubular standard I4 is 5 t th ame, bent to form the downwardly depending por- 5 tion 58 which carries the washer end member It to act as a closure for the cup 20.

The cup 20 is held by the arm 2| which is pivotally attached to the tube l4 at 22 so that the 5 cup 20 normally is held by the weight of the outer free end 23 of the arm 2! bearing up against the closure washer l9 supported on the end 18 of the tube M. In this position the cup is held adjacent the open end of the tube it so that 10 liquid may be elevated into the cup in the operation of the controller as will be later set forth. The outer free end 23 of the arm H is formed with a contact point 24. An electrical connector 25 provides a means of connecting electric ourrent to the body of the controller A which may pass through the arm 28 to the point 24. Adjacent the end 24 in the chamber l3 and normally above the same, I provide an electric contact member 28 which is held by the insulating block 2'5 to the side wall inside of the chamber l3 and from which leads an electrical connecting bolt 28. Thus one of the electrical connections for acircuit may be connected to the bolt 25 and the other to the bolt 23 so as to provide an electrical connection in the controller A.

The tube M is provided with a feeder nipple 29 so that the liquid within the chamber is may freely enter into the hollow tubular standard M to a height equal to the height of the liquid in the chamber l3. This maintains an operating column of liquid within the tube H5 at all times. When the flexible tube 30 which extends between the plates 3! is operated to compress the same by a vehicle wheel passing thereover, the column 35 of liquid in the tube M will be pumped into the cup causing the cup to be weighed down sufficiently to raise the contact end 2A to make an electric contact with the member 26, closing an electric circuit. The plates 3!! may be of quarter 40 or half round material so that the vehicle wheel may drop slightly onto the flexible tube 30 between the same as the wheel passes thereover. The flexible tube 39 may lie directly on the pavement of the driveway or street or may be rein- 45 forced in the back bya fiat plate extending along under the same. The flexible tube 30 is preferably made easily replaceable so that it may be replaced when worn out and it is connected to the pipe it which leads to the standard M, as

5 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

The cup 20 is provided with a small hole 20' in the bottom of the same so that the liquid which has been pumped into the cup may drain out of the cup within a predetermined period. While 55 sufiicient liquid remains in the cup 20 to balance the arm 2i to hold the end 24 against the connector 2B, the electric circuit connected to the bolts 25 and 28 is closed. When this circuit is in the form illustrated in Figure 5 and a suitable 6 source of electric current such as C is connected in the circuit D, the alarm E will be operated as long as the circuit D is closed. When the cup 20 has drained out through the opening 20', the cup will automatically elevate and the end 24 will 65 automatically disengage from the plate 26, thereby automatically opening the circuit D and stopping the alarm.

When my vehicle actuated electric control is operated as just described, and illustrated, con- 70 nected to a filling station tank, as in Figure 1, the alarm E may be placed in the filling station or several alarms may be placed about the filling station so that the attendant may be quickly advised of a vehicle having entered the filling station for service. The operation of the controller A is entirely automatic and continues to operate without any attention in a very desirable manner.

The controller box A may be made as illustrated in Figure 4, with the hollow standard l4 connected to an operating cup 3i at the upper end of the same. This cup 3! is provided with a ball check 32 to prevent the column of liquid which is pumped from the hollow standard l4 into the cup 3i by the vehicle passing over the drive plate B, draining too fast out of the same. Within the cup M I provide a float 33 which carries a contact rod 36 in position so as to contact with the electrical connector 35 when the float 33 is elevated in the cup 3! by liquid being pumped up into the same. Conductors 36 and 3! lead from the control box A to make the desired electrical connections with the circuit with which the control box is connected.

In Figure 6 I have diagrammatically illustrated the control box mechanism of Figure 4 connected with the circuit D so as to operate the relay F when the float 33 is elevated to contact with the plate 35. The relay in turn is connected with'an auxiliary circuit G which is fed by the line current wires 38 and the circuit G is connected to the motor M which may be used for operating the opening and closing of a garage door, or the motor M may be used to operate a traffic signal if it is desiried. Thus while the relay F is in operation, the circuit G will be closed to operate the motor M. As soon as the relay has been released, the circuit G will be opened and the motor M will cease to function.

The vehicle actuated electric control or box A and the drive plate B operate in a simple and effective manner. I have illustrated some simple applications in the use of the same and it is apparent that many other diiferentv applications or uses may be found for this simple device which is operated by vehicles passing over the same. There are no parts to get out of order in the controller A and the same is automatic in operation so that it requires little or no attention. The time of sustained operation may be varied in accordance with the proportions of the cup 20, the hole 29', or the structure like illustrated in Figure 4, however, the operation is positive and each time pressure is exerted against the flexible tube 30 liquid is pumped virtually instantly and automatically to the operating parts of the controller A. These parts in turn function automatically and thus this vehicle actuated electric control is very desirable for the purposes specifled.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles and uses of the invention. I desire to have the same interpreted within the scope of the following claims irrespective of the particular adaptation shown in the drawing.

I claim:

1. An electric control including a controller box adapted to form a liquid storage tank, a tubular standard extending within said tank, a fluid passage between said tank and said standard for maintaining liquid within said standard, a movably mounted cup mounted in said tank in position to receive liquid from said standard, the weight of a predetermined amount of liquid moving said cup, and electrical switch means secured to said cup to be actuated thereby into closed position when said predetermined amount of liquid flows into said cup.

2. An electric circuit closer including a container in which liquid is adapted to be supported,

a hollow standard projecting upwardly in said container and having a fluid passage connecting said standard and said container for maintaining liquid in said standard, a mfovably mounted cup in said container positioned to receive liquid flowing from, said standard and to be moved thereby, a small drain provided within said cup, and an electric switch connected to and operated by movement of said cup to close the switch.

3. An electric circuit controller including a container adapted to provide a source of supply of liquid, a hollow standard within said container, an open nipple projecting from the side of said standard to maintain liquid within said standard, an operating cup in said container positioned to receive liquid from the upper end of said standard, means sensitive to the weight of a predetermined quantity of liquid for closing an electric circuit when liquid is forced from said standard into said cup, and means for causing the liquid to drain slowly out of said cup Whereby an electric circuit is held closed for a predetermined period.

4. A circuit closer including a tank partially filled with liquid, a hollow standard in said tank extending above said liquid, a cup mounted for movement above the liquid level to receive liquid flowing through said standard, said cup being movable by the weight of said liquid therein, and switch means connected to, and operated by, said cup, and vent means from said tank to said standard beneath the level of said liquid to maintain liquid in said standard to said liquid level.

5. A circuit closer including a tank, a standard within said tank, said standard being hollow to transmit a flow of liquid, a lever pivoted to said standard intermediate the ends thereof, a cup secured to said lever on one side of said stand ard positioned to receive liquid from said standard, and a switch on said lever on the other side of said standard.

6. A circuit closer including a tank, a standard mounted in said tank, an arcuated upper end on said standard, said standard being hollow to provide an inverted J-shaped passage therethrough, a lever pivoted to said standard, a cup on said lever positioned beneath the extremity of said arcuated end, and a switch mounted on said lever for actuation by movement of said cup.

7. A circuit closer including a tank, a standard upstanding in said tank, means pivotally mounted on said standard and operable by the flow of liquid through said standard and switch means operated by said pivotally mounted means.

IRA S. BAI'I'INGER. 

